These Wars Shaped Nations, Then Completely Disappeared From Our Collective Memory

In the U.S., we've faced significant conflicts that have profoundly shaped the course of history. Many of these instances end up influencing politics, geopolitics, and social structures for decades to come. But there have been other wars just as impactful that haven't gotten the same attention, with several major wars overshadowed by time.

According to the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law, there are 114 conflicts currently taking place in the world, many of which are unheard of. This doesn't make them any less important. Some received less attention, like the Korean War, because it was overshadowed by WWII several years earlier, there was a lack of a clear enemy, and it was never declared a war by Congress.

To determine major wars overshadowed by time, 24/7 Tempo scoured the internet to find the best historical sources using data collected from websites including History.com, History Forum, and the Wilson Center. For this list, we use the definition that a "war" is an armed, intense conflict between states, groups, societies, or governments.

This post was updated on August 8th, 2025, to reflect additional information.

• Took place: 1899 – 1902
• Fought by: United States and Philippines

This is a time in history that many people may not remember. It was 1898 when the Treaty of Paris effectively ended the Spanish-American War and as part of the settlement, the U.S. gained ownership of Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines. All was well except in the Philippines, where Filipinos didn't anticipate that they'd be annexed by the U.S., but rather thought they would have their independence.

Tensions emerged, and the First Philippine Republic officially declared war on America.The Philippine army began with traditional warfare but soon found that they were running out of resources, and switched to guerilla warfare. The battle continued for three years and sustained many casualties from fighting and disease.

To end the war, the U.S. slowly started ceding control by authorizing the election of a general assembly in the Philippines. That ended the primary war but it wasn't until the end of World War II that the U.S. granted independence to the Philippines.

• Took place: 1950-1953
• Fought by: North Korea and the United States

Although many people have heard of The Korean War, it's rarely covered in depth in class or history books, and is often referred to as "the Forgotten War." Congress never officially declared war on North Korea and it is still considered a conflict rather than a war. Taking place at the very start of the Cold War, it began when the communist North Korean People's Army moved across the 28 parallel into what was then the pro-Western Republic of Korea, which would eventually become South Korea.

U.S. troops were called to support the South, and the battle waged on for the next few years, resulting in the death of over five million civilians and soldiers. A formal peace treaty has still not seen the light of day.

• Took place: 1798–1800
• Fought by: United States and France

The United States borrowed money from France to fund the Revolutionary War, which they had been repaying for years. However, in 1793, when the U.S. was still repaying the loans, the French Revolution began, resulting in the overthrow of the French government and the execution of King Louis XVI. Representatives from the U.S. believed that France voided the loan agreement because of their revolution, and they stopped paying their loans. The U.S. also rescinded the commercial and diplomatic treaties they had set up.

In 1798, France retaliated by sending privateers to attack U.S. ships. The U.S. fought back by attacking French ships, and the fighting went on for two years. It resulted in the U.S. capturing 80 French ships and defeating French vessels.In 1800, negotiations between the two nations continued, and diplomatic relations improved. In the end, more than 300 American ships were captured, and 82 Americans were killed.

• Took place: 1964-1973
• Fought by: United States and Laos

Known as Operation Barrel Roll, this was a covert operation conducted by the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy, that occurred simultaneously with the Vietnam War. Called the "secret war", it began as an attempt by the CIA to take power from the communist group Pathet Lao, which had been allied with the Soviet Union and North Vietnam during the Vietnam War.

The bombings of Laos continued as part of Dwight D. Eisenhower's Domino Theory, which he believed would keep communism at bay, and they continued with presidents John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, and Richard Nixon. Most of the bombings were targeted along North Vietnamese supply routes that went through the Ho Chi Minh Trail that stretched into Laos and Cambodia.

By the time the bombings had mostly ceased by 1973, there were260 million bombs were dropped on the small nation.

• Took place: 1975-1979
• Fought by: Cambodia and the United States

Shortly after the bombings of Laos, the Cambodian Genocide occurred at the hands of the Khmer Rogue and Pol Pot.The genocide was due to disease plus the starvation, overworking, and execution of Cambodians while Pol Pot was in power. Many of them were thrown into detention centers that were so dangerous that out of tens of thousands who were sentenced there, only a handful survived.

The U.S. tried to help by invading Cambodia and bombing the area. It is thought that the bombing went on for eight years, but much of the events are shrouded in secrecy.

• Took place: 1900
• Fought by: America, China, Various Other Nations

The China Relief Expedition is also known as the Boxer Rebellion and started when a nationalist movement took place in China when a group called the Fists of Righteous Harmony, also known as the Boxers, were on a mission to drive out all foreign colonizers. It resulted in more than 3,500 foreigners fleeing the area to avoid attack.

To help those foreigners, the United States teamed up with various other nations (the U.S. sent 2,500 soldiers). The pinnacle of the altercation occurred near the city of Beijing, where the Americans climbed a wall to clear a path for other nations to assist in fighting off the Boxers. Though it was a relatively brief "war," more than 100 Americans were killed.

• Took place: 1838-1839
• Fought by: United States and United Kingdom

This was a small altercation that took place on the border between the state of Maine and the New Brunswick colony back in 1838. The issue was that lumberjacks were arrested on both sides of the border because both the U.S. and U.K. forces thought they were harvesting trees on the wrong side.It was a brief war that saw both sides take out their militias, ready to fight, but the issue was resolved diplomatically, and no soldiers were killed.

• Took place: 1260
• Fought by: The Mamluks and the Mongols

This ancient battle took place between the Mamluks, who ruled Egypt and much of modern-day Iraq, and the Mongols, who were under Hulagu Khan.The Mongols sent envoys to Cairo and demanded that the Mamluks surrender, but the Mamluks did not want to surrender and instead beheaded the messengers that were sent by the Mongols.

Khan departed back to Mongolia, leaving behind 10,000 troops. They began raiding towns, and the Mamluks fought back, easily crushing the Mongols.

• Took place: 1912-1933
• Fought by: United States and Nicaragua

The nation of Nicaragua was in chaos as both liberal and conservative groups were trying to control the government. Fearing destruction, representatives from the American embassy contacted Washington and asked for help to protect the Americans in Nicaragua. In response, the U.S. sent over 500 soldiers to provide protection. The soldiers protected railroads and U.S.-owned businesses and worked to restore stability in the nation.

The plan worked, and for many years, the balance was restored, but in 1927, Nicaragua fell into chaos yet again. The U.S. soldiers defeated the enemy forces and stayed in the area until a new president could take office. The altercation officially ended in 1933, but due to all of the unrest, more than 140 Americans were killed.

• Took place: November 3 – 29, 1847
• Fought by: Switzerland

Switzerland is typically known as a neutral country, a nation that doesn't get involved in international conflicts. Yet, there was a point in time when the country was at war with itself, when a civil war broke out. Several Catholic cantons formed a sonderbund (separatist league) and broke off from the rest of the cantons in the area, to prevent the creation of a centralized government.

The battle between the two groups began but only went on for 26 days before the rebels were defeated. Throughout it all, 89 people were killed.

• Took place: 1801 – 1805
• Fought by: United States and Tripolitania, or Tripoli (Libya)

During this period, pirates from the Barbary States (modern Algeria, Morocco, Libya, and Tunisia) were raiding ships in the Mediterranean and along the African coast, and they were taking the crews hostage and ransoming them back to their home country. The United States opposed paying tribute to the rulers of these states in exchange for them halting the piracy of American ships.

After diplomatic talks fell through, Tripoli (a city in Libya) declared war on the U.S. The battle began in 1801, and during the next three years, the American fleet attacked enemy fleets and blockaded Barbary ports.Finally, in 1805, American marines attacked and captured the city of Derna. Knowing that the end was near, forces in Tripoli and the U.S. signed a treaty to end the war, and all American prisoners were released.

• Took place: 1969
• Fought by: El Salvador and Honduras

This short battle, also known as "the football war," was the result of a combination of factors that raised tensions between El Salvador and Honduras. The main issue was that the people of Honduras were upset that the citizens of El Salvador were moving to Honduras to take their farmland. As a result, Honduras tried to force the migrants back to El Salvador.

While that situation was already causing incredible tension, what pushed things over the edge was a football (soccer) game between the two countries in which El Salvador was the victor, angering the people of Honduras.The combination of events was too much to bear, and the result was an attempted invasion of Honduras by the people of El Salvador. The battle took place over four days, and in the end, there were 3,000 casualties.

• Took place: 1896
• Fought by: British and Zanzibar

The Anglo-Zanzibar War, also known as the shortest war in history, lasted only about 38 minutes.This altercation occurred after the sudden death of the Sultan of Zanzibar, when his nephew, Khalid bin Barghash, declared himself to be the new permanent ruler although it hadn't gotten any approval.Because a protection treaty was in place, all new appointments had to be approved by the British.

Khalid bin Barghash refused to back down, barricading himself in the palace with 2,800 defenders in place for protection. The British tried to intimidate Khalid bin Barghash by bringing in cruisers and gunboats, but he wouldn't back down. Instead, he took his weapons and aimed them at the British.

He didn't believe the British would fire on him, and when they did, and 500 of his men were wounded or killed, he surrendered, fleeing into exile. The British installed a new sultan later that afternoon.

• Took place: 1916–1924
• Fought by: United States and Dominican Republic

In 1916, the Dominican Secretary of War Desiderio Arias seized power in the Dominican Republic. Fearing what he would do in the area, the U.S. Navy threatened force if he didn't leave. It didn't work, and three days later, the U.S. sent in the Marines, and several battles ensued. Although the U.S. eventually helped stabilize the country, it resulted in the loss of 180 Americans.

During the chaos, American sugar companies acquired many sugar plantations in the area, to the disapproval of other Latin American countries, which pressured the U.S. to withdraw, ending the conflict.

• Took place: 1675-1676
• Fought by: Indians and Puritans in the Early U.S.

Also known as Metacom's War, this conflict began after Wampanoag Indian Chief Metacom and his tribe folk, who lived in the United States, were tired of their dependence on the Puritans.They attacked colonies throughout Rhode Island and Massachusetts, and these initial attacks began a series of battles between Metacom and his men and the colonial militia. The war ended with the beheading of Metacom and the death of many of his men.

• Took place: 1702-1713
• Fought by: French and English Colonists

This was one of the many conflicts that involved colonists and Native Americans. Although this war was between the English and French colonists, it also involved the Indian allies on both sides and took place in several locations, including Newfoundland, Acadia, New England, and Spanish Florida. There were many casualties and the war ultimately ended with the Treaty of Utrecht, for which the Indians were not invited and they lost a great deal of their land in the process.